Clutch.



J. B. HERNDON.

` ULUTGH.

APPLICATION FILED VAFR. 13, 1911.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

WTNESSES 'in disengaged position.

'imc vi',

UNITED 'STATEIET OFFICE.

JAMES B. HERNDON, 0F ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

CLUTCH.

specifianon of miicpsrai'eni. Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

Application tiled V.April 13, 1911. A

Serial No. 620.8918.

To all whom it may concern: l

lle it known that l. ,lives l. Hinixnoxa 'citizen of the United States. residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri. have of which the following is :i specification. reference lieing had therein to thc accompanfi'ing drawing.

Mi' invention relates to improvements in' 'friction clutches of the uiiiltiple disk type and the ohjects ot' my improvements are; first: to provide a clutch of this class which shall lie adapted for general use and' he particularly applicable to motor c i'eles now ,f ieneiall)I in servire and which will not cause sudden strain on the partev involved when said clutch is applied for starting a motor cycle or other mechanism :v second; to so construct and arrange the parts` of a nulltiplc disk elutr'h that the saine shall oeeup)Y the minimum amount of space.` he neat in appearance. .simple in construction, compact. substantial and durahle: third: to provide automatic lubricating means, wherein' the parts of .said eliiteh are thoroughl \r lubricated. and whereby the .saine may lie thorl oughlv flushed -with a cleansing liquid; fourth: to so construct a eluteh of this class that the saine shall lie operated with the minimum amount ot" manual force. he practically dust proof throughout and he provided with locking means whereh;1 the parts of 'said elutrh lshall he securely looked on the clutch shaft. l attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accom.- paiiying drawing. in whirlig- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section on the ljiie X X seen in Fig. Q, looking toward th'e left and showing the parts of the clutch Fig. 2l is anend view of tlu` parts `seen in Fig. 1, looking toward the right. Fig. 3 is-:i face view in detail oll the rotatable moving plate. Fig; t'is a reduced transverse section on the the right.

the spi-ing tension disk. Fig. (i is a view similarA to`1"g. ofon'e. of the other vii-ri-1 means and the ehitch shaft securing means invented certainA -new and useful improvements.in Clutches,

described.

seen in Fig. l` lookingjir toward Fig. 5 is a "reduced face vlewfof .may he made the parts of the clutch being in disengaged position.

Referring to Fig. 1. the ordinary internal gear 1 is rotatahly mounted between bearings` 1ll sind 1"which are supported by certain fixed parts of a motor cycle. Said gear 1 is rotated h v an engine. and since .said engine and said fixed parts forni no. partfof my invention. the saine are neither shown nor Said gear is provided with hub 1 and with the V shaped friction face 1 formed therewith.

Hollow clutch shaft` is secured on hub l h v the right threadedniit 2" screwed on the outer end of said huh: said Vnut being secured thereon hy the left threaded cap nut 2" .screwed in the outer end of huh 1'. Said eliiteh .shaft is rotated`hy .studs 2 secured in gearkvl and extending therefrom into the end of said clutch shaft.

Drivingrrl ineans'3 may be either a sprocket wheel 3 aslseen in Fig. 1, or the saine may he a helt drive pulley 3*, seen in Fig'. 7. Said sprocket wheel 3 is provided with friction face 3 adapted to frietioiialli' engage face 1" and is ireferably secured toA clutch drinn -l by studs 4',4 though said sprocket wheel -ina'v he formed integral with said drinn where sueh is desired. Saididruin and wheel are rotatably mounted on shaft; 2. Said drinn. carries the drinn yfrictien d isks 5, slidalily .splined therein by the dianietrically opposite keys 5 secured onthe iiner surface of said drinn. Said disks are driven bv fretional Contact ofdrive disks ('i, slidali'ly splined on shaft 2 by' keys 6 secured. onsaid shaft. Sai-d drive disks have hardwood insertions t secured therein, for increasing friction thereof, as seen in Figs. 1 and 4. Spring carryin disk 7 is' also 'slidably splined on shaft. 2 ysaid key 6 and carries the .spring tempered tension disk 8, secured thereto at the outer ed es ofsaid disk. The inner edge portion of disk Sisfree and yieldable. Said ieldableportion of disk 8' is pressed b v tiirust' collar 9 slidablv inoved on shaft 2 aganst'said telrl'f sion disk by the rotatable thrust plate 10, rotatably mounted and slidable on shaft 2. Said plate is provided with` wed e blocks- 10 formed thereon, said wedge bloc rs each 11:11hing a. flat face l0l and an inclined face 10 as seen in Fig. 3. Said pate is also provided with manual operating rod 10", pivotally secured thereto for manually rotating said plate on shaft 2.

Fixed plate 11 is loosely mounted on shaft 2, and is provided with fixed wedge blocks 11 formed thereon, which are of the same shape as `the previously described wedge blocks 10', for causing said slidable movement of plate 10 when the inclined faces'of its wedge blocks are rotated past the inelined faces of fixed wedge blocks 11. Plate 11 is also provided with holding rod 11,- the outer end of which is secured to any desirable fixed part of said motor cycle, for holding plate 11 against rotation with shaft 2, said fixed part and outer end not being shown.

Outer thrust bearing piece 12 is screwed on the outer right threaded end of shaft 2, for adjusting the space between thrust collar 9 and tension disk 8 and between disks 5 and 6. Said bearing piece 12 has ke apertures 12' formed'thercin as seen in iig. 2. Said piece is secured in said adjustment by cap nut 13 screwed in the internally left threaded outer end of shaft 2.

Cap nut 13 has oil opening 13* formed through the center thereof and has key notches 13" formed in its periphery. Shaft 2 is tilled .with oil assed therein through said oil opening, sai oil not being shown.

Oil plug 13 is passed through the inner end of cap key 13 and is screwed in oil opening 13a for closing said opening andy for securing said key on said cap nut, while the outer end of said key is passed through one of the notches 13 and into an aperture 12' for securely locking cap nut 13 and bearing piece 12 in position on shaft 2.

Anti'friction bearing 14 between plate 11 and thrust bearing piece 12 and anti-friction bearing 15 between plate 1() and thrust collar 9 prevent. friction between the parts mentioned. Feltwashers 17 and 1T respectively protect said bearings from dust.

Oil outlet aperture 18 is formed through drum 4 and is closed by screw 18 screwed therein. `Shaft 2 has oil ducts 19 formed through the wall thereof adapted to conduct, oil from the interior of said shaft onto friction faces 1 and 3', and into drum (l, from whence said oil finds access to the other described parts and throughout; thc interior of said drum by reason of the hereinafter described movement of said parts. The open end of drum ttis closed by cover 4".

In installation, the described elutch,carr v ing sprocket wheel 3, is secured on the ordinary internal gear 1, of a motor cycle. The slidable movement of the described clutch disks is adjusted to the practicable minimum, by adjusting thrust bearing piece l2 on sha t 2. cap nut 13 is screwedsolidly -against p'ece 12, oil ping 13 is removed from oil opening 13* and any suitable henry or hard oil, (not shown,) is forced through said oil opening until shaft 2 is thereby i 8 and also rotates thrust collar 9, bearingsl 15 and 14, bearing piece 12, cap nut 13 and the thereto attached parts, while the unmentioned parts stand idle, with sprocket wheel 3, free from gear l and from said engine.

\Vl1en it is desired to engage said sprocket wheel with gear 1, rod 10 is manually drawn and thereby rotates thrust plate 1 0 in the direction indicated by arrow 10, seen in Fig. 3. This rotation of said plate carries wedge blocks 10 against fixed wedge blocks 11l the inclined faces of which cause said plate l() to slidahly move on shaft 2. Said plate 10 moves bearing 15 which moves thrust collar E) against spring tension disk 8, which by its elastic pressure moves the described clutch disks from the position seen in Fig. 1. toward the position seen in Fig. 7.

The frirtional contact of drivin" disks G causes drum disks 5 to thereby Tae slowly rotated. thereby slowly rotating the thereto attached parts, including drum 4 and the described driving,r means. Continued manual drawing ot rod 10 increases the elastic pressure of tension disk 8 on the described clutch disks thus increasing their friction, which increases the speed of rotation of disks and the said driving means. This manual drawingof rod 10 is thus coni tinued until the parts have thereby been moved from the position seen in Fig. 1 to the position seen in Fig. 7. upon which said drivingr means will have attained the full speed of the rotation of shaft` 2, without sudden strain on the vparts involved. Reirrso manual movement of rod 10" causes a reverse rotation of plate l0, upon which the rotative movement of the described disks causes the parts of the clutch to move from the position seen in Fig. 7 to thc position seen in Fig. 1, thereby releasing the described clutch engagement of said driving means from shaft, 2. that. the friction of said disks generates warmth therein. which is transmitted therefrom to shaft 2. This warmth causes the described oil to flow, and the centrifugal forca of said oil. (lwingrotated in said shaft.) causes said oil to [low through oil duets 19, thus automatically lubricating all of the' parts where lubrication is required. \Vhrn it is desircd'to clean the described na rts without disassembling the same, shaft 2 is emptied of said heavy oil, and a light pil,

It will he understood' such as coal oil, or a spirit, such as gasolene, alcohol, or the like is poured into said shaft. Screw 18 is removed from oil outlet aperture 18, and the clutch is operated intermittently as described, until the liquid centrifugally thrown from aperture 18 is comparatively clean. Said cleaning liquid is then removed and a light lubricating oil is served in the same manner, after which shaft 2 is again filled with the previously mentioned heavy oil.

I have shown and ,described the tension disk 8 as seen in Figs. 1 and 5, but the same may be made of such other forms as various degrees of elasticity of said disk required for lighter or heavier work may demand; one of such other forms being shown in Fig. (l, in which disk 8d has slots 8 formed therethrough for giving more freedom of movement to the inner edge of Said disk.

As seen in Fig. 1, I have shown and de scribed clutch shaft 2 secured to rotating means 1, which latter is a portion of one certain form of motor cycles now in use. I reserve the right to so modify the inner end of clutch shaft 2 and the form of drum 4 and the driving means 3 that said parts shall be adapted to be used on motor cycles of other forms. One of such other forms of said parts is shown in Fig. 7, in which clutch shaft 2 is secured on the outer end of an engine shaft 1l by key 2d and by cone nut 2, the latter being screwed on the end Y of said en inc shaft.

The V s aped friction face 2f is formed with the inner end of clutch shaft 2" while the opposing frictiorface 3C is formed with belt pulley 3a. Clutch drum al is formed in the outer half portion of said All of the remaining parts are like the ones shown in Fig. 41, both in construction and operation and arc therefore designated by the same numerals.

I am aware that multiple disk clutches are old and have been used in a variety of ways, and therefore do not broadly claim suc What I claim as new and original and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :H

1. In a clutch in combination, a hollow clutch shaft adapted to receive lubricating oil therein, said shaft having oil ducts formed through the wall thereof; shaft rotating means; shaft securing means whereby said clutch shaft is secured to said rotating means and whereby the inner end of said shaft is closed; removable closing means in the outer end of said shaft for closing the same; a clutch drum loosely mounted on said shaft said drum having a closable oil outlet aperture formed therethrough and driving means connected therewith; a plurality of friction disks slidably mounted in said drum and adapted to engage said drum with said clutch shaft by frictional engagement of said disks; sliding means loosely mounted on said shaft for sliding said disks into frictional engagement, and retaining means on.

the outer end of said shaft whereby said drum, said 'disks and said sliding means are retained -in place, the whole adapted to form automatic lubricating and flushing means for automatically lubricating the outer surface of said clutch shaft, the inner surface o said drum, said friction disks and said sliding means, and for iushing the same in order to clean said parts.

2. In a clutch, rotating means adapted to be rotated by power; a clutch shaft provided with securing means whereby one end of said shaft is secured to said rotating means; driving means adapted to transmit power from said clutch to another mechanism for driving the latter; a clutch drum, said driving means and drum being secured together and being rotatably. mounted on said shaft; a V shaped friction face fixed with said shaft; i another friction face formed on said driving means adapted to frictionally contact said V. shaped face; a plurality of disks in said drum adapted to transmit power from said shaft to said drum by frietional contact of said disks; an elastic disk the outer edge of which is secured to the outer edge of the outer one of said disks; a thrust collar loosely mounted on said shaft and moving means mounted on said shaft whereby said collar is moved against the inner free edge portion lof said elastic disk for moving said plurality of disks and said friction faces into frictional contact.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. IIERNDON.

"itnesses 2 JOHN J. HINTON, Roar. It. EDWARDS. 

